How To Choose A Wedding Dress That Flatters Your Figure

Your wedding is your big day. You are only intending to get married once so it’s important to find the perfect wedding dress. The trouble is there are so many wedding dresses to choose from, selecting the perfect dress can be a bit of a minefield. Here are some tips on how to choose a wedding dress to flatter your figure.

Ideally, you should begin the search for a wedding dress at least six months prior to the wedding date. Some brides even start at least nine months in advance. Wedding dresses take a significant amount of time to choose so it is important to make sure you have time to find the dress and wait for the dress to arrive. Depending on the wedding dress you choose and the manufacturer making it will change your order time. A typical wedding dress from a boutique can take upwards of 4 to 5 months to be ordered and delivered.

When beginning your search for the perfect wedding dress keep your body shape in mind. There are four main body types - pear, rectangle, triangle and hourglass. Most people fit into one of these categories.

If you have hips, and a waist which is wider than your shoulders, you’re a pear shape.

For a pear shape, the best option is to look for an A-line style dress. If it has a low waistline it will be particularly flattering, but it’s best to steer clear of dresses with skirts that are too full as they will only emphasize your lower half - the half you most probably want to detract attention away from!

Ball gowns are a good bet for slimmer pear shapes but make sure that you pick the right style skirt to avoid accentuating your lower half.

For pear shapes with larger hips, avoid ball gowns, sheath, mermaid or empire line dresses as they draw attention to your hips and waist. Empire gowns in particular have high waists which make you look slimmer and taller. An A-line style will provide the most flattering fit.

To slim down a thick waist, try a puffed out or flared style of skirt to balance things out. You might think a corseted waist is a no-go for anyone with a thick waist, but it is great for creating a lovely hourglass figure. Princess and basque styles are best left well alone as they place too much emphasis on the waist.

Whichever style you pick, try accentuating an area that you feel more confident about, such as a small waist. This will make it easier to draw attention away from your hips. Try accentuating the upper half of your body through strapless or halter neck dresses to draw the eye away from your lower half.

If your hips and waist are no wider than your shoulders and you have little definition to your waist, you’re a rectangular shape. To flatter a rectangular shape, you should look for dresses that create the illusion of curves.

If you have a boyish or athletic figure, try an empire line dress. A ball gown can fool the eye into thinking you had curves. A small bust can actually be a blessing in disguise as it allows you to experiment with different style necklines or pretty details on the neckline, such as beads or sequins.

An empire style dress with a seam underneath the bust can be especially flattering for rectangular shapes. If you don’t fancy an empire line dress, a sheath dress will cling to your body and show off your slim figure in all its glory. Avoid anything which is too clingy though as it will only make you look more narrow. You can also look for dresses with full skirts, dresses with jewel or bateau necklines, or wide collars.

If your hips and waist are wider than your shoulders, you’re a triangle shape. To balance out a triangle shape, look to emphasize your top half to stabilize it with your larger bottom half. Try puffed sleeves or even padded shoulders. Dresses with elongated bodies draw attention to the waist and draw the eye from the hips, so it’s a win-win situation for triangle shapes. Skirts with side panels are best left alone as they draw attention to your bottom half.

If your shoulders are wider than both your waist and hips, you’re an inverted triangle shape. The key to flattering a triangle shape is to balance out the top and bottom halves of your body, so you should look to emphasize your bottom half to play down your wider top half. Opt to dresses with few details on the shoulders as they will highlight the shoulders. Simple sleeves are a good bet, as is a simple bodice. To balance out the two halves of your body, choose a full or slightly flared skirt with as few details on the bodice as possible. Details on the skirt such as sashes and bows are good for emphasizing your bottom half.

No-nos for inverted triangles include dresses with full sleeves (they will make your top half look even wider), slim and straight skirts (inverted triangles need the skirt to be full or flared to balance out the top half), empire waistlines (empire dresses have a high waist which reduces the space between the waist and the bust, making your top half more noticeable as the eye is drawn to your top half) and low necklines (especially plunging necklines as they draw far too much attention to the upper body).

Both triangle and inverted triangle shapes are well suited to ball gowns as the full style skirt will create a balance between your upper and lower body. Sheath dresses are also a good bet.

To tone down broad shoulders, a halter neck style is actually a good look as it draws the eye upwards and so narrows the shoulders. Strapless styles are also a good idea, but stay away from off-the-shoulder styles as they do nothing but draw attention to the shoulders.

If your hips are in proportion with your shoulders and your waist has some degree of definition, you’re an hourglass shape.

If your hourglass figure is slim, ball gowns and mermaid style dresses are a good option. If you’re more on the curvy side, styles which are best left alone are A-line styles, which don’t emphasize curvy figures, and any dress with a full skirt which will swamp your delicate figure. Bodices with too much detail are best avoided, as are puffed sleeves and low necklines.

Any dress with classic lines such as sheath or mermaid dresses look good on an hourglass figure. Anything with too much detailing can have you look heavier than you actually are.

For other problem areas, there’s a wedding dress to suit all.

If you’re looking to play down a large bust, avoid a closed neckline or anything strapless as both will only push up and emphasize your cleavage. Opt for sweetheart, V-neck or scoop necklines instead. A dress with a drop waist can create the illusion of a smaller bust by increasing the space between the bust and waist.

On the other hand, you can choose to accentuate a large bust by opting for a dress with a fitted waist, particularly a ball gown. A mermaid style dress is also good for emphasizing cleavage.

An important factor is choosing a dress is to remember that the majority of women are pear shapes, whereas models tend to be rectangular. Something that flatters a model’s shape probably won’t be well suited to a normal woman. Your best bet is to try to find a dress that suits your particular figure, rather than just the first dress that catches your eye. It may look beautiful on the hanger but that doesn’t mean it will look good on you.

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